Find out the latest in forest news in this week’s Forest Digest!

• These creatures faced extinction. The Endangered Species Act saved them. — The Washington Post
  The Endangered Species Act is under jeopardy. At a recent hearing to discuss “modernizing the Endangered Species Act,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), head of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said the ESA “is not working today.” This Washington Post feature, published in the March 28 print edition, highlights eight species that would probably have disappeared already were it not for the act.
• Fragmentation of tropical forests increases global emissions of greenhouse gases — Phys.org
  Scientists estimate that deforestation releases 1000 million tonnes of carbon each year, driving up global temperatures. A new study by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and the University of Maryland reveals that, in addition to this, fragmentation of formerly contiguous areas of forest leads to carbon emissions rising by another third.
• In Poland’s Crooked Forest, a Mystery With No Straight Answer — The New York Times
  The Krzywy Las, or Crooked Forest, in Poland is packed with pine trees that are crooked so that they look like potbellied stick figures. On some 400 trees, the trunks buckle out 90 degrees, creating bark-covered bellies that drag just above the earth, oddly, all pointing in the same direction — north. Discover more about the rich history of this mysterious forest in this New York Times feature.
• Fractal patterns in nature and art are aesthetically pleasing and stress-reducing — Phys.org
  Humans have always been visual creatures. New findings show that aesthetic images can induce positive changes in the body, such as reductions in the viewer’s stress levels. Explore data about what factors in particular make these works of art or natural scenes visually appealing and stress-relieving.